McClain: Best team in the state? Texans by a country mile

You have to be a die-hard Cowboys fan to believe they’ll have a better season than the Texans.

The Cowboys are coming off an 8-8 season in which they beat one playoff team (Cincinnati). Counting being swept by Washington, they lost five games against teams that made the playoffs. Of their eight defeats, five were by seven or fewer points. The Cowboys started 2-3, rallied to stand 8-6 but lost their last two to New Orleans and Washington to miss the playoffs.

The thing that should keep Dallas fans optimistic is that the NFC East – at least on paper – doesn’t appear to be a strong division. Competitive, yes, but no legitimate Super Bowl contender.

The Texans are coming off consecutive AFC South titles. They’ve won a playoff game in each of the last two seasons. All four of their defeats last season were against playoff teams. They beat three playoff teams – Denver, Baltimore and Indianapolis.

The Texans don’t have a position that can be called a weakness. They don’t have starting jobs available. And their division is nothing special beyond Indianapolis.

The Cowboys are hoping to win their division or earn a wild-card berth. The Texans are hoping to win their division, earn home-field advantage in the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.